Myth busting: DIY ant control

Ants can be a big nuisance for home and business owners alike. These crawling insects like to forage and will search high and low for any source of food – including your property!

In California, home and business owners are especially worried about Argentine ants! This species of ant is known to drive out other ant species in the area and prefer sweet foods, meats and dead insects. Boise and Santa Ana are two cities with a concentration of ant infestations, while carpenter ants, which bore into wood and weaken timbers, are a problem in Vancouver and Salinas.

More often than not, people try and control the problem using home remedies and DIY solutions first. However, the issue with most of these solutions is that they aren’t 100% effective and often lead to ants sneaking their way back into your home. We have the know-how and tools to get rid of ants in an effective way and can advise you how to prevent them from returning.

Contact us online or call us at 800-937-8398 to let us know about your ant problem so we can eliminate these pests for you as soon as possible.

Home remedies for ants

So which home remedies and DIY solutions can you use for ants? Find out below!

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is often regarded as an effective DIY ant control option. It is believed that cinnamon acts as a natural repellent as ants can’t stand the smell.

This home remedy for ants involves using cinnamon essential oil as opposed to sticks or powder. It is believed that soaking a cotton ball in a solution of cinnamon essential oil and water and wiping down common ant hot spots, such as doors and windows, will help repel ants.

However, there is a catch. The effectiveness of this DIY ant control solution depends on the concentration of the cinnamon oil, as well as the placement. For this home remedy to work, a high concentration of cinnamon oil needs to be used and it needs to be placed in the common areas where ants are entering your home. Identifying all the places where ants are exactly entering your home can prove difficult without proper training.

Vinegar

If you’ve read any of our other myth-busting DIY pest control tips, you’ll know that vinegar is often a common home remedy for insects. Ants are no exception.

To use vinegar as a home remedy for ants you simply need to fill a spray bottle with a solution of vinegar and water and apply it to the common ant hot spots and places where food is kept, such as cupboards and work surfaces.

Is vinegar a successful home remedy for ants?

Yes, but only for a short period of time. It is suggested that the aroma from vinegar masks an ant’s scent trail, preventing it from finding food. However, once the solution has evaporated it will no longer be an effective DIY ant control method.

To add to this, although it might help stop ants from finding food in the first place, it will have little to no effect on any infestation already in your home.

Lemon

Like vinegar, lemon is another home remedy for insects including ants. This DIY solution is thought to work as the acidic property of lemon juice masks ants’ scent trails and as a result, deters them.

For this DIY ant control option, rub lemon juice around door frames, window sills and other common entry points for ants.

Is lemon a successful home remedy for ants?

No, not really. Although lemon juice may seem like a successful home remedy for ants, it is not a foolproof solution. Yes, it may repel them for a short period of time, but in the long run, it has little to no effect.

Chalk

A common home remedy for ants is to use a piece of chalk to draw a border around the common entry points for ants.

It is thought that this works as ants won’t cross the chalk line, disrupting the scent trail.

Is chalk successful against ants?

No. Although it may disrupt an ant’s scent trail for a short period, the ants will soon find another way to continue on its hunt for food.

Best way to get rid of ants yourself

The best way to get rid of ants yourself is by using correct prevention techniques.

Ant prevention techniques are a great DIY solution as they help make your home less appealing to ants and reduce the potential for an infestation to occur in the first place.

How to prevent ants:

Clear up any and all food and liquid spillage

Sweep floors regularly to get rid of crumbs and other food debris

Store food in airtight containers

Block off any and all entry points by sealing cracks and crevices around your property.

Professional ant control

Although some DIY ant control solutions and home remedies may give the impression they are working (especially in the short term), they are often ineffective.

Western Exterminator has a range of services and solutions to fully eradicate an ant infestation from your property and can also protect your home and/or business from any future infestations that might occur.